Three Highland ministers and one from Aberdeen have left the Church of Scotland over the issue of gay clergy. The four ministers are Revd Ivor MacDonald from Skye, Revd John Murdo MacDonald of Lochalsh, Revd Roddy McRae Kintail from Glenelg and Revd Peter Dickson from Hilton in Aberdeen. Revd Dickson’s assistant is also set to resign, and some congregations are threatening to leave.

The High Church in Stornoway voted in favour, but the 74 per cent figure didn’t reach the 80 per cent needed to break away.

Last May, the Kirk’s General Assembly decided to retain any homosexual ministers ordained before May 2009 if they had been open about their sexuality, though a final decision on the issue won’t be made until after a report is completed in 2013.